2. Falang-Friendship-Feast – farewell party for “most of us”

We almost cannot believe how time flew by so fast. Last week, it was already time for four of us to kiss Laos goodbye. Julia, Sandro, Steffi, and Ann-Kathrin went back to Germany – their time was up. We took the opportunity to celebrate a massive farewell party – Lao style, of course.
Sikeud Secondary School was the place to be on this warm and sunny Saturday. Besides good mood, fun, happiness, as well as a pinch of sadness, the following gems were on the German-Lao menu: Käsespätzle (traditional Swabian egg noodles with German mountain cheese and fried onions) and potato salad made by our German fraction; papaya, banana, and Lao salad, as well as fish soup and fried noodles from our Lao counterpart.

Some of the Lao dishes were even made on demand at the table by our Lao chefs.

Another highlight were the fancy sport dresses by some of the Laotians, an absolute must see.

Our dinner table was set up on the lawn of the school yard. While munching through the mountains of food, we enjoyed good conversations with our friends and colleagues. All of us where relishing the good and relaxed atmosphere.

After the feast, there was time to join some sport activities. Besides volleyball and Sepak Takraw (a combination of volleyball and football-tennis, played with a small plastic ball) we got to play table-tennis as we had a table-tennis table this time. The party was accompanied by dance music from a typical Lao ghetto blaster (a huge boom box with a karaoke function, as Lao people love karaoke!).

Saying goodbye to Julia, Sandro, Steffi, and Ann-Kathrin was one of the main reasons for this party. We seized the opportunity to thank our Lao colleagues and friends for the great times we’d all had together. Venkham Xai, the director of Phang Heng Primary School, driver Vieng Kham, and the Lao General Manager of Angels of Children, Mr Khamsing, received a framed photograph of us, the German volunteers, as a keepsake. Julia and Laura had made elaborate an English Activity Booklet as a gift for our English cooperation teachers from all three schools. These booklets contain plenty of activities for teaching English, some of which they had already learned, as well as some new ones, and a pile of picture flashcards which the teachers can use for training vocabulary, or singing songs, and playing all kinds of games. It was a great surprise that was cordially accepted.

Of course we also seized the chance to take some pictures. After that, we spent a very convivial night together. Like the “Falang-Friendship-Feast” (see earlier article), today’s event was a great success, which strengthened the bond between us and our Lao friends.

Here are some more impressions.

Text by T. Mayer

Photos by T. Mayer and J. Zeck